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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOTHAM W. HAUXHURST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LETTER-FILE.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JorHAM W. HAUXHUEsr, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Letter-File 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specication, in which- Figure l represents my invention in a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a transverse central section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The object of this invention is to produce a letter-file that when several letters are upon it any one may be readily taken oft' without removing the ones that are on top of it by simply moving them up on the curved wire past thejoint and opening it allows the desired one to be taken off.

To enable others skilled in the art to underderstand my invention and to make and use it, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the back, which is of wood, which is of a serpentine form upon its edge, upon the face of which is secured the case B by the pins t t t. This case is struck up of brass or other metal by means of suitable dies. This case serves as a covering to the flat spring n, the lower end of which is firmly fastened to the case by the curved wire O, which passes through both and is riveted. At the other end of the spring s attached the thumb-piece P by the curved wire D which passes through both the thumb-piece and spring and is riveted, all as plainly shown in Fig. 2. The two curved wires O and D are to retain the letters. They are constructed of `brass wire or other suitable metal. The lower one, C, terminates at a point, @,'while the upper one, D, has a corresponding cavity in its end S, so when closed,

as shown in Fig. 1, they form a perfect smooth joint which allows the papers upon the lower one, O, to pass freely over thejoint upon t-he upper one, D, and vice versa.

It will be readily seen that by simply pressing upon the thumb-piece P the springe is pressed back, which opens the joint and admits any one to be taken off or others to be inserted by the point e piercing the same, as shown in Fig. 2.

The hole in the back piece A, (marked R,) is for the purpose of hanging it up. Said backpiece may be constructed of castnietal, if desired, thus producing a cheap, simple, and durable letter-file, unique in appearance, and enables letters to be removed from it with the utmost facility without removing those more recently placed upon it.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- As an article of manufacture, the combination of the case B, spring n, and curved wires O and D, with the point e, and cavity S, with the thumb-piece P, arranged in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

J. W. HAUXHURST. 

